After Years of Advocacy, Sherrill, Booker, Kean Welcome New Vet Center Resources in Morris County

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) welcomed Veterans Affairs (VA) Undersecretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal to Morristown to discuss the VA’s plans to restore a Vet Center Community Access Point (CAP) in Morristown and establish a Vet Center Outstation in Hackettstown. The CAP and Outstation will expand access to critical mental health care resources to veterans in Northwest NJ. This announcement comes after years of advocacy by the Congresswoman, Senator Cory Booker, Congressman Tom Kean (NJ-07), Morris County elected officials, local veterans, and stakeholders.

“Addressing the needs of New Jersey’s veteran population is a priority for me as your Congresswoman. Over the past few years, expanding Vet Center services to meet the needs of Morris County veterans has become a top concern for the advocates I work with in the state and on my Veterans Advisory Board. After countless letter writing campaigns, many meetings with VA officials, and tireless community outreach, the announcement of the reopening of the VA’s Community Access Point in Morristown and an Outstation in Hackettstown is a step in the right direction towards ensuring our veterans – and their family members – have access to the care they need. I will continue to work to increase access to high quality mental health care with a full Vet Center,” said Rep. Sherrill.

“We honor our veterans, service members, and their families by providing them the care and resources they deserve, including individualized counseling and mental health care as they transition to civilian life or respond to service-related trauma. Vet Centers provide these vital community-based readjustment counseling services, but there has been a critical gap in these services in northwestern New Jersey. I applaud the Veteran Administration’s expansion of Vet Center services to help fill this gap so that more veterans and their families have timely access to this care near where they live,” said Senator Cory Booker.

“Vets Centers are important resources for service members, veterans, and their families,” said Congressman Kean. “I am excited to see that the VA is heeding the needs of the community in Northwest New Jersey and bringing a Vet Center Cap in Morristown and a Vet Center Outstation in Hackettstown. This is a good step in the right direction, but more still needs to be done. I look forward to continuing to work with my New Jersey colleagues to bring a much-needed Vet Center to Northwest New Jersey.”

“The news of an additional Vet Center CAP right here in Morris County and a Vet Center Outstation in Hackettstown will greatly improve access to better mental health services for the women and men who selflessly defend our freedoms,” said NJ Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco. “Instead of being forced to drive more than an hour to receive the care they need, now they’ll be able to get those much needed services right here in Northwest New Jersey. This is a great first step and I look forward to continuing to work with local, State, and Federal officials to give our veterans the care they so rightfully deserve.”

“The Morris County Commissioners not only honor our service members on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, but also support them year-round. We thank Congresswoman Sherrill for her support of our veterans, including the $5 million grant to the County College of Morris for veteran training, as well as her and Congressman Kean’s backing of the new VA services announced by VA Undersecretary Elnahal. Morris County can host this new Veterans Affairs service point because we’ve recently doubled the space for our veteran services,” said Commissioner John Krickus, a lifelong resident of Morris County and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Vet Centers provide a range of services to veterans and their families, including mental health counseling to combat veterans and those who suffered military sexual assault as well as bereavement services to families of servicemembers who die on duty. Vet Centers’ practice of providing services to families in addition to the affected veterans is also unique in the VA veteran care space. You can learn more about Vet Centers and how to access services here.

The VA will be opening a Vet Center Outstation in Hackettstown, with services administered by the Bloomfield Vet Center. Outstations are posts where at least one counselor is located to provide closer-to-home care in communities that are far from full Vet Centers. A Vet Center Community Access Point will be incorporated with the veterans services already provided at the Morris View Healthcare Center. CAPs are satellite locations that work in conjunction with already established service centers. Counseling services will be available once a week to provide care. The number of days present could increase if demand for more is shown.

Rep. Sherrill introduced the bipartisan Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act as part of her Jersey STRONG Agenda – the first five pieces of legislation she introduced in the 118th Congress. This common sense legislation would use Census data and the VA’s statistical data to identify where expanded Vet Center access is needed in underserved, high-population states, including Northern New Jersey. Rep. Kean co-leads this legislation.

“Thank you to the coalition of veterans, advocates, stakeholders, providers, and elected officials who have worked with my office and I for years to bring this expansion of life-saving services to North Jersey. Thank you to Morris County for hosting us and for creating space for these CAP services on the same site as their newly expanded Veterans Service Office. I also want to thank the Undersecretary for coming to my district to meet with veterans who use these Vet Center Services and for his commitment to continuing to monitor the demand here and further expand these services as needed,” Sherrill continued.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served nearly a decade in the U.S. Navy as a helicopter pilot. Since first taking office, she has been a steadfast advocate for service members, veterans, and their families. Sherrill championed efforts to pass the PACT Act into law that has expanded VA healthcare and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their service. Additionally, she is working with community partners to create job training opportunities for service members transitioning to civilian life.